Train Track Confessions
by Analise010
Summary: After the Demon Tournament, it's hard for Yusuke and Keiko to decide how to move on together. ONE-SHOT.


Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho at all, Yoshiro Togashi does. Also, I have to give a shout out to my beta, especially since I didn't do it from the start. Shout out to SunStar Kitsune.

A/N: This story takes place after the end of the Demon (not Dark) Tournament.

"Yusuke," Keiko said her voice taking that well known tone, exasperated. "Yusuke, _come on_. This is important." He turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

She couldn't believe they hadn't talked about it yet. Yusuke had been back for a month now and the topic had never come up.

More accurately she hadn't brought it up yet, and he hadn't said a word. She had wanted to give him time to adjust, to be back home, to go back to school, but they couldn't avoid it forever.

The solitude greatly helped her cause. It normally took all of her patience just for Yusuke to pretend to open up, but with other people around? Forget it.

The setting was perfect too. The sun bled red, orange, and gold across the grass and railroad tracks of the field they were in. The situation felt shockingly familiar as they strolled in their school uniforms, not actually going home. Finally, he spoke, hands in his pockets, standing tall, his back to the falling sun.

"Talk about what?" He asked nodding to her. Keiko promptly turned and started walking away, leaving him to stare after her, eyes wide. "Hey, wait –"

"I'm not doing this again, Yusuke. I can't, not again," she pleaded, continuing her quick pace away from him, eyes on the ground. He quickly caught up to her, grabbed her arm when she didn't stop moving. When she tried to move away again he pulled her close, leaning down to look her in the eyes.

"What is it?" she turned away, eyes shut and he continued to stare at her, baffled. Here she had started the conversation, and now she refused to talk! "Keiko talk to me here, tell me what do you mean?"

"What the hell do you think I mean?" she suddenly snapped, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"I can't do this ambiguous thing where I hang on to the prospect of…_something_. It's been 2 years without you! How do you think I feel?" she said, her voice breaking.

"Look, I get it, okay? I missed you too," he blurted out, blinking at the tears gathering in her eyes. "Why do you think I came home?"

She turned away from him, but remained immobile. Yusuke stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her for insurance. She angrily pushed him away and tried not to react when he looked just as pained as she felt.

"You think everything is okay now just because you're home? You don't know what it was like, waiting for you this time!" she shouted.

"At least before I had some idea of what was going on! With Rando, I knew you were with Kuwabara. When it was those four beasts, I knew you were trying to stop it all and I fought just as hard as you did! And then in the Dark Tournament, I was right there, right beside you cheering you on! But with Raizen I –"

Keiko stopped, halting the words before she spilled her heart out. She needed to get a grip on herself, before her resolve shattered and she couldn't get her meaning across.

"Whatever, Yusuke. If you don't care, neither do I." He blinked at her, jerking back at the intensity of her tone.

Keiko started walking back the way that they'd come all the while hoping that she didn't fall apart.

Using the demon blood that he rarely called on anymore, Yusuke moved with inhuman speed to place his hand on her back, curling over to press his nose against her neck. Keiko's resolve shattered faster than glass on pavement.

"I know how you feel. I hated being away from you too, but I refused to come home the way I left," Yusuke stated, stepping in front of her.

"An idiot?" she snarked, tilting her head to glare at him. He let out a short laugh that sent chills down her spine.

"No, a half-broken fool who kept looking over his shoulder for the next fight."

She let one sob escape her, but turned the rest of them into heavy breaths. If Yusuke didn't love her, if he wasn't serious, she would be damned if the last image he had was of her blubbering like a fool.

He leaned her against him and she complied, letting him glide a finger up and down her back.

"I thought you didn't care," she admitted. He scoffed, turning them so he could look her in the eyes.

"Sixteen years and you thought I could quit you? You're the best part of my life." Slowly the words sank in, but her head still didn't want to believe them.

A train rolled by slowly. Slow and steady, as though it had all the time in the world. The rhythmic chugging of the wheels soothed them both.

Enough for Yusuke to mumble, "Marry me."

Keiko froze. Then recovered fast. Her head was right, Yusuke was not to be trusted.

"Oh, not this again," Keiko half-chuckled, unwilling to accept the words that she so desperately wanted Yusuke to mean.

"I mean it this time. I said it before to get out of arguments, but not now, not after everything. Really? How'd you think we were gonna end up?"

For a moment, their world stood still. The last wheels of the train circled simultaneously with the ones in Keiko mind. He couldn't be lying to her now and they had been past jokes for some time. Which only left the insane solution that he was serious.

"I thought that I would end up with you. If I ever pictured myself married, with children, old and grey with someone it was always…you."

Without thinking, Keiko wrapped her arms around Yusuke's shoulders and pulled him closer to her. He nuzzled her neck gently and Keiko realized that she wanted this. She had never stopped wanting this.

"Kiss me," she murmured.

He laughed, hands pulling her closer. "Did you really have to ask?"

Yusuke's hands moved up to her face as he stepped closer to her. He caught her lips in the smallest of movements, dipping in and out to savor her. They were going to make it this time. Nothing would stand in their way. He was sure of it and so was she.


End file.
